The discussion of any work, publications, sales, or activity anywhere in this submission, including in any documents submitted with this application, shall not be taken as an admission that any such work constitutes prior art. The discussion of any activity, work, or publication herein is not an admission that such activity, work, or publication existed or was known in any particular jurisdiction.
In various contexts, it is sometimes desired for one person to ride on the back or shoulders of another person. A variety of devices exist to facilitate this practice. Most of them are similar to a backpack, securing the child onto the back of the adult, often with a rigid frame. However, many adults simply allow non-infant children to ride on their shoulders, unencumbered by any hardware.
Shoulder riding without use of a harness or support requires the adult to ensure that the child remains on the shoulders of the adult. This is typically done by the adult using one or both hands or arms to hold on to the child's legs or feet or ankles. This presents a safety as well as a convenience concern because the adult holding a child in this way is unable to use his or her hands either for grasping or balance without risk that the child will fall from his or her shoulders.
One previously proposed design, discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,402, uses ankle holders connected together and then attached with a vertical strap to the waist of the adult, with a suspender clip and/or key clip connected to the front of the wearer's belt, belt loop or trousers.
A different previously proposed designed, discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,098,856, uses ankle holders connected to underarm straps and a child seat and head strap to secure a child in a seat.
Another previously proposed designed, discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,612, provides stirrups and a child-waist strap to allow a child to more easily ride on an adults back.
Many other approaches for carrying or securing are discussed in the below listed references:
2,059,563Baby's sleeping harnessNovember, 1936Donoghue2,093,744Bed harness for childrenSeptember, 1937Tuckey3,698,608Shoulder saddle assemblyOctober, 1972Entwistle3,968,910Shoulder pack child carrierJuly, 1976Dye et al.4,004,583Restraining deviceJanuary, 1977Johnson4,184,528Berry and fruit picking containerJanuary, 1980Kobilan4,416,403Child carrying back packNovember, 1983Johnson4,422,455Restraining deviceDecember, 1983Olsen4,484,700Device for use in carrying a childNovember, 1984Bush4,608,811Toy saddle adapted to be carried bySep. 2, 1986Echeverrian adult person4,610,244Brace for restraining shoulderSeptember, 1986Hammond4,667,624Safety harness for childrenMay, 1987Smith4,728,553Prisoner leg restraintMarch, 1988Daniels4,757,925Baby carrierJuly, 1988Knittel4,892,208Child-resistant closure assemblyJanuary, 1990Sledge4,901,898Waist-mounted infant carrierFeb. 20, 1990Colombo4,986,458Infant carrierJanuary, 1991Linday4,986,599Baby carrierJanuary, 1991Wise4,993,612Portable back carrier for carrying aFebruary, 1991Quimby, Sr. et al.person5,011,057Baby carrierApril, 1991Perruzza et al.5,011,221Baby carrierApril, 1991Wise5,071,047Baby carrierDecember, 1991Cordisco5,205,450Child carrierApril, 1993Derosier5,230,451Harness for neck-worn articlesJuly, 1993Onozawa5,244,292Baby carrierSeptember, 1993Wise5,256,119Leg extension exercise deviceOctober, 1993Tudor5,263,618Universal carrier for articlesNovember, 1993Talavera5,361,952Baby carrierNovember, 1994Gold5,435,272Support harness for a young childJul. 25, 1995Epstein5,437,402Child carrierAug. 1, 1995Ring5,454,498Baby carrierOctober, 1995Dunn et al.5,490,620Child-supporting shoulder harnessFebruary, 1996Bergqvist5,522,528Baby carrier apparatusJune, 1996Petricola5,570,823Baby carrierNovember, 1996Lindy5,609,279Child carrierMarch, 1997O'Shea5,632,425Infant carrierMay, 1997Hull5,690,258Baby carrierNovember, 1997Kataoka5,730,490Handle supported cover for infantMarch, 1998Mortensoncar seat carrier5,732,861Baby carrying harness and claspMarch, 1998Jakobsonmeans therefor5,772,088Adjustable infant carrierJune, 1998Nelson5,772,279Coupling system for infant carrierJune, 1998Johnson, Jr.to second support device5,791,535Soft infant carrierAugust, 1998Roan et al.5,813,580Soft-sided infant carrier convertibleSeptember, 1998Fairto hip carrier5,988,670Child carrierNovember, 1999Song et al.6,070,890Infant carrier mounting systemJune, 2000Haut et al.6,095,614Child carrier harnessAugust, 2000Canna et al.6,098,856Shoulder baby carrierAugust, 2000Reilly6,098,857Backpack baby carrierAugust, 2000Le Gal6,186,381Child carrierFebruary, 2001Kernkamp6,213,362Sling-type infant carrierApril, 2001Lorenzini et al.6,244,483Carrier deviceJune, 2001McLemore et al.6,247,755Child carrier harnessJune, 2001Canna et al.6,318,608Child carrierNovember, 2001Fowler et al.6,331,032Infant carrier mounting systemDecember, 2001Haut et al.6,363,558Infant support with an improvedApril, 2002Dunnesecurement device6,491,195Carrier deviceDecember, 2002McLemore et al.6,763,983Infant carrierJuly, 2004NormanForeign References:
WO/2000/064297November, 2000A NURSING BAGWO/2001/005264January, 2001A BAG WITH TWOCONVEX LIDSWO/2001/084984November, 2001A BABY CARRYINGHARNESS